Favorite author among Jordan/Martin/Bakker/Erikson?

[fxer]

Jordan just isn't close. He's closer to the bottom of epic fantasy IMO than the top.

I get the feeling Jordan is not well respected on this board. A couple reasons people have mentioned are:
*Long waits between books/drawing out the series (purely for profit?)
*Poor female characters (all end up being stereotypical/crabby)

For what other reasons (hopefully without spoilers), do people not like Jordan?

 

[Jason_Taverner]

I still love Jorden and the 1st 6 books of wheel of time are always going to be great but I've starting reading Erikson and his Malazan Book of the Fallen and it all pales in comparison so I voted for him

 

[Culhwch]

Would be interesting to know how many members who voted Martin have actually read Erikson as I suspect more may go over to Erikson if they've read the entire series rather than give up inside Book 1, a common downfall. No reflection on the people here, just somwething I've noticed across the board on other forums in general. Bakker too is excellent.

This comparison isn't really valid or more to the point balanced unless you've read all 4 authors, so not sure if all members who voted here have done that?

Well, I've attempted to read all four authors, Gollum. Does that count? Your point on Erikson I feel is a two-edged sword. He may very well get better in subsequent books, but the cold hard fact as far as I'm concerned is that in the first hundred-odd pages of GotM he delivered nothing that inspired me to keep reading. Believe me, I wanted to like him. I really did. So much so that I still haven't given up entirely - I will try again. So I'm not specifically prejudiced against him. But in comparison to Martin, who had me from page one.... It's a non-event.

 

[GOLLUM]

Well, I've attempted to read all four authors, Gollum. Does that count? Your point on Erikson I feel is a two-edged sword. He may very well get better in subsequent books, but the cold hard fact as far as I'm concerned is that in the first hundred-odd pages of GotM he delivered nothing that inspired me to keep reading. Believe me, I wanted to like him. I really did. So much so that I still haven't given up entirely - I will try again. So I'm not specifically prejudiced against him. But in comparison to Martin, who had me from page one.... It's a non-event.

Point taken Cullwch but obviously to make a full comparison I guess you really need to read all of or a substantial part of the current series of the 4 authors mentioned. I agree with Martin, he had me hooked from page 1 whereas Erikson probably took to the second book to have me really sitting up and taking notice. I guess that's a shame in a way that the first book takes a while to really get you in because there will be a lot of readers who will simply throw up their hands in exasperation. Perhaps becasue Martin is a more experienced writer he understood this better than Erikson, who nevertheless does claim he doesn't want to make things easy for people reading his books but still you'ld probably want to capture as many readers as you could in the opening of a series, especially one extending to 10 volumes.

You're reading Bakker now aren't you or have I mistaken you for another member?

 

[dyffeg]

In response to Crysallis, I have read all Jordan's books bar the most recent. I found the lack of progression in conjunction with blurring of stereotyped female and male characters the most irritating... having said that, I found the 2nd most recent one an improvement on previous ones.

What I did like re Jordan was the strong "groups" of people... although I did work out a couple of years ago Jordan seemed to have "lifted" a few themes from Dune series (Bene Gesserit, dessert fighters etc)

Re ERiksen - I definately will try to reread book 1 and then 2... One day!!!

Regards,
Dyffeg

 

[Brys]

I get the feeling Jordan is not well respected on this board. A couple reasons people have mentioned are:
*Long waits between books/drawing out the series (purely for profit?)
*Poor female characters (all end up being stereotypical/crabby)

For what other reasons (hopefully without spoilers), do people not like Jordan?

My main problem with Jordan is to do with the pacing - Crossroads of Twilights was one of the worst books I've ever read, and that was because nothing happened in it. But even that's being too kind to that particular book - I've read some excellent books in which very little happens - but they tend to have other redeeming features, such as being incredibly well written, which Jordan isn't. He writes quite cliched, stereotypical fantasy that is horribly drawn out - his occasional interesting ideas are completely overshadowed by the hundreds of pages of repetition and meandering plots. Description's fine, as long as it is important in contributing to atmosphere - describing the clothing of most characters in great detail is not a contribution to atmosphere. It really doesn't help that the description used isn't any good either - Jordan's prose is weaker than any of the other three.

Culhwch - I suggest that you read on with Erikson to the end of GotM, at least. A lot of people equally give up on Martin in the first 100 pages, and then reading it at another time think he's one of the best authors. 100 pages isn't nearly enough to judge an epic fantasy series which extends into thousands of pages - especially as that part is by far Erikson's weakest writing. A lot of Martin fans dislike Erikson because of the high magic, D&D style to it, or because of the lack of depth of characters, which is fine by me - but until you finish the entire book of GotM, it's very difficult to judge because the first 100 pages are little more than exposition to the world and some of the characters, while the middle and end is where the novel really comes into its own.

What's interesting is that while I would say that Bakker did a better job in regards to fleshing out his main cast(which admittedly is much smaller then Erickson's) there was nothing in the trilogy that resonated like certain scenes of Erickson from DHG or MoI.

I'd agree with that - I'd also argue that Bakker is the more skillful writer in terms of prose than either Erikson or Martin. But characters like Kellhus, Cnaiur and others show just how skillful Bakker is in creating believable characters.

 

[Frozeninja]

I get the feeling Jordan is not well respected on this board. A couple reasons people have mentioned are:
*Long waits between books/drawing out the series (purely for profit?)
*Poor female characters (all end up being stereotypical/crabby)

For what other reasons (hopefully without spoilers), do people not like Jordan?

The long waits between books don't bother me. The wait for "A Feast For Crows" was some two years, so waiting for Jordan's works after that isn't so bad. The main problem I think most people have with the series was that the pacing in books 7 - 10 slowly got worse and worse until book 10 was so bad that a lot of people (myself included) had trouble getting through it. The stereotypical female characters do tend to grate whenever he focuses on them for too long (which he is wont to do) but that wouldn't have such a bad effect if only the plot was fast paced enough to make up for it, which in the last few books it hasn't been. Though I must confess I thought KoD much improved in the plot respect, even if I still felt the female characters were severly annoying, the plot did make up for it I felt in this instance.

 

[Lirineth]

No doubts George R R Martin

I can't wait for A Dance With Drangons, scheduled to come out some time during mid 2007.

I read a preview of one of the chapters in Martin's website, and it was really good.

Unfortunately I also read that Meisha Merling, that is the publishin company, (as they very colourfull put it) has gone 'belly up', we shall see what happens.

 

[Culhwch]

You're reading Bakker now aren't you or have I mistaken you for another member?

Yeah, that's me. Not going too badly, though I still prefer Martin, unsurprisingly. And as I said, I haven't given up on Erikson. To many people singing his praises for that. I might start in on the second book, and then go back to the first to fill in the gaps. Maybe that will work....

 

[Lostara]

Erikson all the way - although have to admit I haven't read Bakker!

 

[Anomander]

Jordan started good, but 12 books for one story is simply ridiculous. And there were two books in which absolutely NOTHING happened. Coupled with women running around calling men "big hairy lummoxes", he made a world, and then gradually killed it for me.
Ericsson is classic, but sometimes a bit too academic for me. George RR Martin is my ultimate relaxation novel - "Rhaegar fought valiantly. Rhaegar fought honorably. And Rhaegar died". Hard to beat for me,

 

[thenegative-one]

jordan, only opne i read, piocked it because of thicknes and leangth of book/ series. not read any others because before i came here i never heard of them. i realy do judge a book by its cover

 

[Thadlerian]

Stupid Thad. Voting before you had read more than half of the authors mentioned...

I don't suppose any of the mods could lift my vote out of the GRRM pile, push it into Bakker, and make sure it never moves again? Too bad.

To put it straight, I think Bakker is the best one. He's really good. Good at all of it. I haven't even finished The Darkness that Comes Before, but it won't be long. Characters like Achamian, Kellhus and Cnaiür, strong but vulnerable, easily sweep the floor with anything the three other authors have written.

To rank them:
1: Bakker

2: Martin


3: Erikson


(compressed space)


4: Jordan (what's he even doing on this list?)

 

[TK-421]

Martin by very, very far.

i realy do judge a book by its cover

Check out the world of A Song of Fire and Ice before you do. I bet your vote would change after the first book.

 

[BAYLOR]

Erikson tops the list.

 

[Vince W]

I’d give it to Erickson simply because he managed to complete his series.

 

[nixie]

I've read all of them, Jordan I still need to get in mood to finish wheel of time. Martin, I love the series but it isn't unique enough. Bakker's is brilliant but Erikson is amazing, when I picked up the first book in his new series; The God is Not Willing, I was transported back to his world, I'm drawn in completely.

 

[BAYLOR]

I’d give it to Erickson simply because he managed to complete his series.

I’d give it to Erickson simply because he managed to complete his series.

Erikson's world is gritty , dark and believable as are his characters.

 

[BAYLOR]

One wonders of it would possible to adapt Malazan to the big or small screen.

 

[nixie]

One wonders of it would possible to adapt Malazan to the big or small screen.

Please no, they'd ruin it.